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Born to be a pig: The country of pork

One of my best friends, like me, Tina V used to live for pork. Her mother is a fantastic cook with a successful Pinoy resto called Mama V, specializing in pork. We got along well eating pork together. And I am one her mothers favorite guests because

1) I love pork 2) eat everything. 3) eat a lot of everything.

Our moms are alike, they cook well and love having people over to feed their pork dishes. If you bring a vegetarian or a Muslim to our moms you would get shot. Shot down by our moms. Not only would he starve because there would be nothing for him to eat, it would be uncalled for. Mom wouldn’t understand. They would get upset and insulted. He wouldn’t be invited again. Like I said he would get shot. Shot down.

One on the bad habits from my yaya (nanny) I learned as a child that I struggled to eradicate is eating pork fat. They say pork is better then beef because it is a leaner meat as you can separate the fat. But if you’re like me, you would eat the fat and prefer it over the meat. Travelling and living abroad, attending dinner parties, it didn’t go to well in eating etiquette. It actually looks displeasing to others. But in the Philippines, it is considered normal.

A typical Filipino breakfast is pork tocino (sweet marinated pork) or pork longganisa (sweet ground pork sausage). People have pork hamburgers at Jollibee for lunch or eat pork adobo (stew), pork chop or pork sinigang (soup), and even vegetable dishes like pinakbet (sauteed mixed vegs with fermented shrimp paste) and bicol express (spicy coconut milk and chilles) with heavy pork. Our holiday food consists of lechon (roasted suckling pig), liempo (pork belly) and baked ham. Our snacks are barbeque (pork on a stick) and chicharon (fried pork and skin rinds with fat ) including the innards (bituka, bulaklak) and diniguan (pork’s blood) with puto (rice cake). And for pullutan (after dinner snack or bar chow) we eat crispy pata (foot and knuckle) and sisig (pork ears and cheek).

What kind of diet is this that is so engrained in our culture? How do we unlearn what we think is good to eat … and learn to find a new taste for better food for our bodies, (also without spending too much)?

In the Philippines, there’s no denying that most Filipinos love pork and consume more of it per capita than any other developing country. It’s a price issue as richer countries can afford to consume more meat and pork is cheap. But it’s also a taste issue, we were born to love the taste of pork and when given the choice, choose pork at any given time and day.

To no surprise, Anthony Bourdain (28 year veteran of food, American author and chef), voted our lechon as the best pig. He is one of the most famous people in food media with best selling books “ Kitchen Confidential” and culinary adventure program “No reservations” on the Discovery travel channel. Here he quotes:

“And speaking of pig? It can now be said that of all the whole roasted pigs I’ve had all over the world, the slow roasted lechon I had on Cebu was the best. This puts the standings in the Hierarchy of Pork with Cebu Lechon as number 1.”

According to agricultural dept statistics, fact is that while much of the world turned more health-conscious in the 1990s and consumed less pork, Filipinos ate more of it per person and is continuing to grow per consumption.

I’m not here to tell you how bad or good pork is for you. It may have the highest flavor but not the most beneficial. You can research on that.
 I want to express that in what our idea of healthy is and our struggle to get there, we have to know where we come from. And understand how we developed mindsets towards what we eat, how we eat and how often we eat in order to change them. I can blame my mom , yaya and my country for feeding me pork. But as “young” as I am, with all the information available and the freedom we’re given, I do have a choice.

We have to start listening to our bodies and controlling the quality and quantity of our intake. We have to stop finishing our plates when we are full. I used to choose fat over meat and save the chicken skin for last because it was my favorite. I used to never eat greens.

Five years later, Tina V is now a vegetarian. She eats mostly veggies and carbs because her body and mind go well with it. Every now and then she will have a bite of chicharon or pinch a crispy pata piece. But she changed her love of pork to love of greens.

I’m not there yet. I did the South beach diet, the Atkins, the after 6pm diet, the Hamptons diet, Sacred heart diet, 3 day diet, detox diet, cabbage soup diet, cleansing diet, etc……. All many , many times over and over. I’ve gained 20 lbs and lost it several times in a year for years. How exasperating. I feel like all my life I’ve been on a diet. Fun? It’s a vicious cycle.

When does the diet end and the lifestyle change begin. When we begin to understand what’s good for us and can find the balance and discipline to maintain. When I dine out, I used to order what I wanted on the menu: lechon kawali. If I did that every day that would be my downfall. Now I have the Caesar salad but I can have it with bacon bits. If I wanted, even lechon bits. If I’m at a children’s party and have to eat pork , I no longer eat the fat. This is where I’m at.

Where do I wanna be? Believe it or not one of my dreams is to put up a vegetarian restaurant. Today I honestly love veggies. First because of how they make me feel and second, the taste I’ve grown to discover immensely. When it happens it will be a vegetarian restaurant for meat eaters. No glutten free or soy products, faux roast duck or veggie meat dishes. But a variety and combination of straightforward vegetables cooked in its essence with powerful flavours and sauces. When it happens it will be a vegan resto for meat eaters with no substitutes. That’s my goal. Will I invite Mama V and my mom? They will be the judge.

Today I personally wouldn’t go as far as eradicating pork in our diets, I don’t think there is a need to go to the extreme and stop all together eating a certain kind of food. Just dramatically less.

I became a chef not because I Iike to cook but because I Iove to eat. I travel far and wide and often – to taste, eat and drink. I have a “love at first sight” story for many dishes that I’ve ever tasted. And some of my favorites, even though I’ve had them so many times, the experience is still like the first time. Today I could not eat pork everyday or even often, only because I’m not used to it anymore. But if it were my last dish on earth, I still choose pork.

TRY THIS vegetarian DISH I made AT LINCONTRO

ROASTED BEET RISOTTO WITH SPINACH, CARAMELIZED ONIONS, WILD MUSHROOMS AND GOAT CHEESE.

And my favorite stand at salcedo market:

Roasted red bell peppers and spices – slowly cooked almost sweet and soft texture

Hummus – kalamata black olives and pureed chickpeas/garbanzos, parsley and lemon

Moutabal – roasted eggplant dip with tahini and coriander

Carrot puree with honey, cinnamon and spices

(details, picture and recipes to follow)

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